Chapter v15c15

Declaration of War

– Enter the Rival (?) in Love!

Gyo-ok wasn’t happy about this mission.

Why did she, Gyo-ok, the Blood Heart Orchid, one of the Heavenly Demon Seven and one of the Four Flowers of the Black Path, have to investigate some insignificant, low-born man with no discernible background?

“Am I really worth so little?”

Her pride was wounded. But her master’s orders were absolute, and a servant’s choices were limited.

“A greenhorn like him? I can handle this in half a day!”

She was confident she could uncover everything about him, from his hidden past to his great-grandfather’s favorite tea.

Gyo-ok was one of the most skilled martial artists among the Heavenly Demon Pavilion’s female disciples, but she possessed an even more potent weapon: her beauty, which had earned her a place among the Four Flowers of the Black Path. She had been trained by her master, Ok Gyo-gyo, the Red Flower Fairy, the leader of the Thousand Courtesans League, in the art of seduction.

No man could resist her gentle smile and her voluptuous figure. Her smile was like a spring breeze, her eyes like pools of liquid fire. Few could maintain their composure in her presence. She had conquered countless hearts without ever having to resort to violence.

She was confident this mission would be a cakewalk.

But it didn’t take long for her to realize she had misjudged her target.

The simplest, most difficult, and most effective way to captivate someone was to charm them with your own unique and genuine allure.

In other words, “love at first sight.”

Those who fell in love at first sight didn’t need a reason. They just did! People talked about past lives, destiny, and other abstract concepts, but the truth was that it was an inexplicable attraction. Metaphysical explanations were generally impossible to prove or disprove, which was convenient.

On the other hand, some argued that if you could explain it, it wasn’t love. To use logical reasoning to explain something metaphysical was absurd.

The world was meaningless. It was up to each individual to create their own meaning. If you decided that something was good, then it was good. (Of course, what was considered “good” tended to change with one’s mood.)

There were countless reasons why people fell in love, countless preferences. But there were also some common denominators.

And one of the most undeniable common denominators was beauty. Humans were instinctively drawn to beauty and repelled by ugliness. There were various philosophical explanations for this, but they were irrelevant to the matter at hand.

The question was, “What is the standard of beauty?” And the answer, frankly, was that there were as many standards as there were people. But there was also a degree of consensus, because humans were influenced by the society and culture they lived in.

For example, in a village where long necks were considered beautiful, a woman with an exceptionally long neck would be considered a beauty. But in a village where short necks were the ideal, she would be considered ugly.

So the standard of beauty was subjective, fluid, and unreliable. But within a given culture, there was a general consensus. And the martial world was no exception.

Those who best met the prevailing standards of beauty were considered beautiful. In other words, beauty was determined by majority rule.

Beauty by majority rule… It was a rather absurd concept.

And the Thousand Courtesans League, the organization Gyo-ok belonged to, specialized in cultivating women who met these standards. The problem was that they focused solely on outward appearances, neglecting inner beauty…

Gyo-ok was one of their finest creations. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been chosen as one of the Four Flowers of the Black Path.

First impressions were crucial for love at first sight. The key was to create a favorable illusion.

So she met him armed with her best smile and her most alluring gaze.

“Oh my, Young Master Bi! Hello! It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Gyo-ok, from the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.”

She smiled radiantly, focusing all her charm on him.

Some of the other disciples in Bi Ryu-yeon’s group stared at her in surprise. Another beauty for Bi Ryu-yeon? Na Yerin was already a mystery! Their expressions clearly said, “This is cheating!”

Bi Ryu-yeon himself was speechless, his gaze fixed on her face.

‘Heh, easy!’

She was sure he was too overwhelmed to speak. She had succeeded.

But she had spoken too soon.

“Ah! You’re the rude one who attacked me with 108 needles without warning. What brings you here?”

‘What?! Rude?!’

This was unexpected.

‘I forgot!’

She had already had a very unpleasant encounter with Bi Ryu-yeon.

‘I can’t believe I forgot… And how does he know how many needles I threw? Don’t tell me…?!’

She quickly dismissed the thought.

‘No way… He can’t possibly have that kind of perception!’

People often ignored their intuition, even though it was usually right.

They dismissed what they should trust the most, and blindly believed what they should be most skeptical of. It was a human contradiction.

‘I have to overcome this obstacle…’

She couldn’t back down now. So she decided to laugh it off.

“Ahahahaha! That was a misunderstanding! I didn’t mean to… It was an accident!”

Her attempt to defuse the situation was admirable. But it only made things worse. She couldn’t charm him with this awkward, flustered demeanor.

“Hmm… an accident…”

“Yes, an accident! Ahahahaha!”

“An accident… Well, let’s just say that’s what happened.”

‘What do you mean, “let’s just say”?!’ She wanted to shout. But she restrained herself. It seemed that her first impression had been a lasting one.

And how could he be so immune to her charms? Shouldn’t he be at least a little flustered, or pleased? She was even more confused now.

‘Don’t tell me he’s… impotent?’

It wasn’t an unreasonable assumption.

And then,

“Who is this, Ryu-yeon?”

A quiet voice, but one that commanded attention.

All eyes turned to the source of the voice. A woman, dressed in white, stood there, her posture as graceful as a crane’s.

‘Na Yerin of Ice Crystal Peak!’

Gyo-ok groaned inwardly.

She was undeniably beautiful. Even Gyo-ok, a woman, found her attractive.

“Oh, Yerin! It’s nothing. Just the woman who threw needles at me the other day. She says she’s here to apologize.”

‘Nothing…?’

It was an insult. She wanted to shout, “That’s not true, you idiot!” But she held her tongue.

“Ah… ah, yes! I thought I should apologize for that.”

She said, her voice trembling.

Na Yerin looked at her, her gaze cold and indifferent. Gyo-ok felt as if she were being drawn into those deep, mysterious eyes. It was as if Na Yerin were seeing right through her.

She quickly averted her gaze. She felt a sense of foreboding.

‘Why is this idiot so close to Na Yerin, the Ice Queen?’

They weren’t just acquaintances. There was something more between them, something intangible but undeniable.

‘I knew it! There’s something going on between them!’

It might be a fledgling relationship, but she couldn’t be fooled. Her instincts, honed by years of experience, had detected the subtle signs.

Even in her world, Na Yerin was known for her aversion to men. Some women claimed that her beauty was wasted on her, but Gyo-ok now realized that it was just jealousy. Na Yerin was even more beautiful in person.

Her beauty transcended mere physical appearance. It was…

Gyo-ok couldn’t deny that she was jealous. And she knew that Na Yerin would be her biggest obstacle.

Two suns couldn’t shine in the same sky.

‘But… even the most beautiful woman has weaknesses!’

That would be her advantage.

“W-Well, I’ll see you around! We’ll be seeing a lot of each other!”

“A lot?”

Bi Ryu-yeon tilted his head, his expression puzzled. Gyo-ok was speechless.

“Oh? You didn’t know?”

“Know what?”

He asked. But she ignored him, her gaze fixed on Na Yerin.

“I’m in Group 7 now! I look forward to working with you!”

She smiled sweetly.

“Is that so?”

Bi Ryu-yeon turned to Hyo-ryong, his friend. He hadn’t been paying attention. Hyo-ryong sighed and nodded.

Gyo-ok felt completely ignored. She had never been treated with such indifference before. Her competitive spirit flared.

“W-Well, I’ll see you around then!”

She turned and fled, unable to bear it any longer. She was afraid she would lose her temper if she stayed any longer. She had reached her limit. Her decision to retreat was a wise one.

But it had taken a toll on her. She was too exhausted to think straight. She had been caught off guard, and she had failed to achieve her objective. She had been forced to retreat.

But…

“So… why did she come here?”

Bi Ryu-yeon asked. Na Yerin shook her head. She didn’t know either.

“…She’s strange.”

He said, watching Gyo-ok’s retreating figure. It was the worst review she had ever received.

Na Yerin nodded silently in agreement. But her gaze remained fixed on Gyo-ok’s back.

* * *

Crash!

A jade teacup shattered against the floor.

The hand that had thrown it was trembling. It was a slender hand, with long, delicate fingers. A woman’s hand.

Her skin was milky white, her nails perfectly manicured. It was a hand that had been pampered and cared for.

‘Spare no expense in cultivating your beauty!’

That was Gyo-ok’s motto, and the first rule of the Thousand Courtesans League.

“I made a mistake. An uncharacteristic mistake!”

She muttered, her lips pursed.

She was humiliated. She had failed.

“I didn’t expect that obstacle…”

She had been missing a crucial piece of information.

“I didn’t know he was so close to Na Yerin, the Ice Queen…”

It wasn’t just friendship. But it wasn’t love either. Na Yerin’s personality was so cold and distant that it was difficult to gauge her feelings. But it was clear that their relationship was unusual.

“But even the Ice Queen isn’t perfect! She has weaknesses!”

Gyo-ok had decided that seducing Bi Ryu-yeon meant defeating Na Yerin. If Na Yerin had heard this, she would have called it a nuisance, but Gyo-ok’s mind was made up. She didn’t care about anyone else.

“Just you wait, Bi Ryu-yeon! I’ll make you kneel before me!”

Whether she would succeed remained to be seen.

* * *

“Should I go… or not…?”

“Or should I give up?”

Dokgo Ryeong cursed her luck, lamenting the fact that no one had invented a lottery system that guaranteed everyone a favorable outcome. She was unusually anxious.

It was all because of the group draw. Every light cast a shadow. Some were overjoyed by the results of the draw, while others were dismayed.

Her god was still being unfair to her.

“This is unfair! Why can’t we change groups?”

Everyone had at least one person they didn’t want to be in the same group with, right? Shouldn’t the organizers take that into consideration? It was their responsibility to ensure a fair competition.

But her protest had been rejected by the Yul-ryeong-ja, the officials in charge of the tournament.

“It’s important to try to improve your relationships with those you find difficult. That’s the purpose of this tournament. Once the groups are decided, they cannot be changed. Unless you want to forfeit the Mount Hua regional competition.”

The world was a perverse entity that often went against her wishes. She had no choice but to accept her fate.

She looked at him, her face flushed with embarrassment. Their eyes met.

“We’ve met before.”

The First Young Master, Bi, said, his voice devoid of emotion. He was accompanied by several members of the Heavenly Demon Seven. It seemed they were in the same group. Dokgo Ryeong couldn’t speak.

“Group 1?”

He asked. She nodded silently. She wished someone would tell her this was all a dream.

His expression flickered for a moment, then returned to its usual impassiveness.

“Welcome. This is the second time we’ve met, I believe.”

His voice was flat, unconvincing.

“I-I see.”

“Let’s do our best.”

She nodded reluctantly, her face still flushed. She vowed to never participate in another lottery again.